Romanian MEP Eugen Tomac claims he was abusively and discriminatorily subjected to a verification process at Vienna airport.
„Outrageous, it is simply outrageous and infuriating. I just landed in Vienna and as I got off the plane, I was abusively and discriminatorily subjected to a verification process by Karner’s police, despite the fact that we have officially been in Schengen for a week,” Eugen Tomac wrote on Facebook.
He stated that he will ask Ursula von der Leyen to take action at the CJEU against this abuse of power.
"If the Nehammer Government does not immediately cease this form of discrimination, I will ask the future European Commission, if it wants my vote, to take action at the CJEU against this abuse of power. Since December 8, 2022, when Austria voted for Croatia's entry into Schengen and against Romania's entry, Romania has lost over 10 billion Euros because our economy does not benefit from the Single European Market.
Ursula von der Leyen must now defend the Treaty and immediately stop this absurd form of discrimination!" Eugen Tomac concluded.
Romania has entered the Schengen airspace and maritime space starting from March 31, 2024. Controls at the air and maritime borders have been lifted, and travelers can move to or from other Schengen member states without undergoing border controls.
There are no additional obligations, but border police will still be present at airports and conduct checks if they have any suspicions.
For travel to non-Schengen countries, both for Romanian adults and minors, travel conditions remain unchanged, and document verification will be carried out at Border Police checkpoints.
Regarding land borders, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner argues that it would be wrong to set a specific date for Romania's accession, mentioning that collaboration will continue to improve the Schengen system.